irreversible

[ ir-i-vur-suh-buh l ]

/ ˌɪr ɪˈvɜr sə bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR irreversible ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

not reversible; incapable of being changed: His refusal is irreversible.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

irretentive, irretraceable, irretrievable, irreverence, irreverent, irreversible, irreversible pulpitis, irrevocable, irrigable, irrigate, irrigation

Origin of irreversible

First recorded in 1620–30; ir-² + reversible

Related formsir·re·vers·i·bil·i·ty, ir·re·vers·i·ble·ness, nounir·re·vers·i·bly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for irreversible

That would create an irreversible cycle wherein the climate is beyond our control.
The Pipeline From Hell: There’s No Good Reason to Build Keystone XL|Jack Holmes|November 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Now, a new mouthpiece may help protect players from irreversible harm.
This Mouthpiece Will Save Football Players’ Brains|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
If I had my wish, football would suffer a sudden and irreversible drop in popularity.
Why I’ll Never Let My Kids Play Football|Russell Saunders|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Echoing Hugo Chavez, they have vowed to make his revolution “irreversible.”
Venezuela Burns, Body Count Rises|Juan Nagel|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For the populations of tiny island nations like Kiribati, the threat is real and near – and any impacts would be irreversible.
Best Business Longreads|William O’Connor|November 24, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In the course of the last hundred years, Goldoni has secured a signal and irreversible victory over his rival.
The Memoirs of Count Carlo Gozzi; Volume the first|Count Carlo Gozzi
The dictating angels hover over the heads of the gifted maids, one of whom writes with rapid pen the irreversible decrees of Fate.
Walks in Rome|Augustus J.C. Hare
The closing of the National Laboratories means an irreversible change in our position.
The Unlearned|Raymond F. Jones
It is not a thing of compacts, bound together by promises and paper, but is itself a law of nature as irreversible as any other.
Cotton is King and The Pro-Slavery Arguments|Various
The victory of pure doctrine and strict church order, though perhaps not exactly glorious, was triumphant and irreversible.
A History of American Christianity|Leonard Woolsey Bacon

British Dictionary definitions for irreversible

irreversible

/ (ˌɪrɪˈvɜːsəbəl) /

adjective

not able to be reversedthe irreversible flow of time

not able to be revoked or repealed; irrevocable

chem physics capable of changing or producing a change in one direction onlyan irreversible reaction

thermodynamics (of a change, process, etc) occurring through a number of intermediate states that are not all in thermodynamic equilibrium

Derived Formsirreversibility or irreversibleness, nounirreversibly, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for irreversible

irreversible

adj.

1620s, from assimilated form of in- (1) "not, opposite of" + reversible. Related: Irreversibly.